After months of competition, the final took place at Compass’ head office (Chertsey) where six teams had 1.5 hours to serve their two-course meal.
Head chef Mohamed Chenoufi and chef de partie Marek Bryja, took home the winning title after impressing judges with their menu: supreme of guinea fowl with Jerusalem artichoke puree, heritage cauliflower and a red wine butter sauce; and chocolate fondant dessert with pistachio ice cream and pear compote.
Chenoufi said: “Competitions like this are great for morale and I’m really excited to go back to our teams and client, and tell them that we’ve won.
“I wasn’t expecting this result but I think we’ve demonstrated our passion for food and creativity, and we’ve learnt a lot in the process too”.
Marked on presentation, taste and complexity of the dishes, the judging panel included: Compass culinary director, Nick Vadis; Eurest managing director Morag Freathy; Emma Pearson, managing director for business and industry; and Jemma Spellacy, head chef at a ‘leading’ Eurest client site.
Pearson said: “This competition is about celebrating the talent within our business, and what an outstanding effort our chefs have made.
“It’s really inspiring to see the quality food that our Eurest chefs have created and I’m so proud to be part of it.
“Well done to everyone involved – I’m looking forward to next year already”.